Modular building construction



March 4, 1969 Filed March 13, 1967 R. E. GREEN MODULAR BUILDINGCONSTRUCTION Sheet INVENTOR.

Y RAYMOND E. GREEN ATTORNEYS March 4, 1969 R. E. GREEN MODULAR BUILDINGCONSTRUCTION Sheet 2 of 2.

Filed March 13, 1967 INVENTOR.

RAYMOND E. GREEN ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,430,398 MODULARBUILDING CONSTRUCTION Raymond E. Green, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor toTrygve Hoff 8; Associates, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio FiledMar. 13, 1967, Ser. No. 622,671 US. Cl. 52-236 Int. Cl. E04b 1/348,1/35; E0411 1/00 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relatesto building construction and more particularly to buildings formed ofprefabricated, modular units stacked in a predetermined manner to form amultistory building.

Apartment and oflice buildings are usually individually designed and areconstructed by first erecting a steel framework of horizontal andvertical columns, and then applying the exterior and interior Walls tosuch framework. Such construction is unusually expensive and needlesslytime consuming.

Additionally, it is desirable in building construction that the designbe standardized. This will result in significant speed and economy ofconstruction compared to conventionally designed buildings, due toefiiciency for builders in fabricating and assembling repetitivestandardized components. Within the building there must be wideflexibility so that various types of activity may be accommodated.

Therefore, it is a primary object of the invention to provide a buildingor building unit having construction features which will permit completefabrication thereof at the factory and which may be transported fullyassembled and equipped to a building site wherein the same may beassembled with other like units to form the finished building.

A further object of the invention is to provide a modular buildingstructure which may be assembled from factory finished units withgreater speed, safety and economy than has been possible heretofore withprior modular structures and methods.

A further object of the invention is to provide a building modulestructure which provides wide flexibility as to rooms and activitieswhich it will accommodate and which can be combined multilaterally withother modules to form a pleasing, function and efficient structure.

A further object of the invention is to provide a modular buildingstructure having sufficient inherent rigidity to withstand strainsattending transportation, raising, or any movement thereof as a completeunit.

A further object of the invention is to provide a modular buildingstructure including modular units arranged in spaced side wall to openend relationship and vertically stacked in checkerboard, overlapping,off-set relation to form a building.

A further obpject of the invention is to provide a modular buildingstructure formed of individual modular units and utilizing a minimumnumber of such units.

A further object of the invention is to provide a building constructioncomprising a plurality of prefabricated modular units that are assembledto form a building on a building foundation without requiring anyadditional or preexisting framework to support and align the units.

Briefly, the foregoing objects are accomplished by providing a pluralityof standardized, prefabricated, modular, box-shaped units ofsubstantially the same dimensions, each contributing to the commutalspace of the building. Each of the units includes a framework ofhorizontal and vertical beams in the form of a rectangularparallelepiped. The units are vertically stacked, with theirlongitudinal axes parallel, in checkerboard, overlapping, offset,relation to form the building, whereby at least some of the units of theupper stories are each suported on and by a pair of spaced unitstherebeneath. All units on each floor are laterally spaced from eachother a distance less than the Width of a unit. Thus, all units on thesecond story and above include units stacked on units therebelow andcovering the space therebetween. This structure permits the spacebetween units to be utilized as rooms without any additional structuralframework. The outermost units on certain of the floors may be supportedon a diagonally adjacent unit on the floor therebelow and on verticalcolumns interposed between said outermost units and a unit therebelow.

With this construction, the invention provides for erecting a structurein the shortest period, utilizing the least amount of units, materials,and labor, and at a cost considerably lower than that required byconventional methods of construction. Prefabrication of the modularunits assures all benefits of planned quantity production with savingsof time, cost of labor, and materials of construction. Suchprefabricated construction also advances the completion date of thestructure as compared to the time required by methods of constructionheretofore used.

Thus, the invention includes a building comprising at least two dwellingfloors, and is constructed from a plurality of box-shaped, prefabricatedmodular units, each of which comprises at least a part of a dwellingspace, such units alone forming the supporting structure of thebuilding.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the drawings therein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational diagrammatic View of a buildingconstructed in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, but showing a modified form ofconstruction thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective diagrammatic view of a building constructedwith the modifications shown in FIGURES 1 and 2;

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view of the building shown in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective diagrammatic view of the assembled modularunits shown in the FIGURE 3 construction;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective diagrammatic view similar to FIGURE 3, butshowing modifications thereof;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of one of the modular units shown inFIGURES 1 through 6.

Although the invention is shown and described herein with reference toapartment buildings, it will be understood that it may be used for theconstruction of any type of plural story building.

Referring to the drawings, there are shown buildings (FIGURES 1-6)having a plurality of stories formed of standardized prefabricatedmodular box-shaped units all of substantially the same dimension witheach unit contributing to the commutual space of the building. FIG- URE7 shows the structural details of a unit. The invention includes certainunit structural details and also the stacking arrangement of such unitsto form the build- Each unit includes a framework of horizontal andvertical beams assembled in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped towhich the walls, ceiling and floors for the building are fastened, asshown in FIGURE 7. The assembled structure of such vertical andhorizontal beams, per se, forms no part of the invention and, hence,will not be described in detail. For present purposes, each unitincludes upper longitudinal (straight) edges 10 and 12 and lowerlongitudinal edges comprising inverted L-shaped beams 14 and 16 adaptedfor engagement with the respective upper longitudinal edges of unitstherebelow to provide rigid structural nested units when stacked incheckerboard offset relation as will be hereinafter described.

To provide for longitudinal alignment of the units when stacked, certainhollow vertical columns 20, 22, 24 and 26 may be provided. Additionally,coacting fitting tubes 30, 32, 34, and 36 may be provided on the lowerlongitudinal edges of each unit as shown. In practice, such tubefittings are telescoped into the hollow of such vertical beams,respectively, in units therebelow to align all units longitudinally whenstacked.

Referring now to FIGURE 1 which illustrates one form of the stackingarrangement of the invention, there is shown modular units 40, 42, and44 of the invention vertically stacked with their longitudinal axesparallel, in pyramid style on a suitable foundation 46 to form abuilding. The units 40 and 42 are laterally spaced from each other adistance slightly less than the width of a unit to form the first floor.This permits the unit 44 (second floor) to be placed on and be supportedby the spaced units 40 and 42 and, additionally, enclose the space 48which can be finished off into a completed room without any additionalframing structure, such being one of the features of the invention.Accordingly, the units 40, 42 and 44 are vertically stacked, whereby atleast some of the units in the upper stories are each supported on andby a pair of spaced units therebeneath with the lowermost units of atleast two in number being supported on the foundation, such units havingtheir longitudinal axes parallel. Thus the units are stacked incheckerboard overlapping offset relation to form the building. Suitablefloor, ceiling and interior and exterior walls are then added tocomplete the building. Thus, a building of any suitable size may beformed of a plurality of such units constructed in accordance with suchFIGURE 1 stacking arrangement.

In FIGURE 2, the unit 50 rests on the foundation 52 and supports theinner edges of the units 54 and 56 (second floor), with the outer edgesof such latter units being supported on columns 57 and 58 to form abuilding. The units 54 and 56 are the outermost units on the secondfloor of the building and the columns 57 and 58 are interposed betweensuch outermost units, respectively, and the foundation 52. The spaces 60and 61 may be provided with suitable outer walls to form rooms therein.The space 62 may be provided with a suitable roof to form a room betweenthe units 54 and 56 without additional framing structure. Thus, theFIGURE 2 embodiment includes a building formed of a plurality of units50, 54 and 56 Vertically stacked with their longitudinal axes parallelin overlapping offset relation with units on any given floor beinglaterally spaced a distance less than the width of a unit.

FIGURES 3, 4 and illustrate diagrammatically a building formed of theunits of the invention and stacked in accordance with the embodiments ofFIGURES 1 and 2. Specifically; the first floor comprises units 80, 81and 82 resting on a foundation 83. The second floor includes the units85 and 86, and the third floor contains the units 87, 88 and 89. Withthis construction the outermost units (87 and 89) on certain floorsabove the second floor are supported on an adjacent unit on the floortherebelow and on vertical columns (90, 91 and 92 for example)interposed between such outermost units and a unit (80, 82),respectively, therebelow. Suitable ceiling, floors and interior andexterior walls are added to complete the building. All spaces betweenunits need no additional framework thereby effecting substantial savingsin building costs.

In the FIGURE 6 embodiment, interior halls or arcades two, three, fouror more stories high may be formed in the building by omitting one ormore units interiorly thereof and supporting the remaining unitsthereabove on columns. Specifically, the unit 95 is supported by thecolumn 96 and 97, the unit 98 is supported by the columns 99 and 100,and the unit 101 is supported by the columns 102 and 103.

Thus, the invention provides modular units and methods of assemblythereof utilizing prefabricated components one bay wide, one story highand five bays long, although it will be understood that units may beformed of different heights, widths and lengths. Each erection unitincludes all the structural components within its boundaries including afloor system for two floors. Erection involves stacking theprefabricated units in a vertical checkerboard pattern and field weldingthe connections. Structural tubing may be used extensively in theframing. Suitable wind bracing members may be provided if required. Thefloors may be either a metal deck or a sandwich type unit which, eitherby itself or in conjunction with added insulation materials, willprovide satisfactory thermal and acoustic insulation. The floor deck maybe welded to its supports, thereby providing sufiicient diaphragmstiffness to distribute horizontal layers on each floor.

In order to facilitate the handlin and erection of the units at thebuilding site, a handling jig could be rigidly attached to the unit atthe time of fabrication at the site. Such a jig could be left in placeuntil the unit is in its final erected position in the building and thenreturned in an empty carrier for placement on another unit.

Heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical services have been consideredin the arrangement of the building and the structural framing system. Itis contemplated that a hung ceiling will permit concealment of pipe,conduit and ductwork. Pipe chase openings can be left in the floorpanels as required.

Considerable economy can be achieved through prior shop fabrication, onan assembly line basis of many standardized shipping units of theinvention involved in the constructing, for example, of a high-riseapartment building. Erection costs of the units and ensuing floorsystems are markedlyinexpensive.

Thus the invention offers significant opportunities for reducing thecost of constructing a building such as highrise apartment buildings andthe like.

The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms ofdescription, and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in theuse of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of thefeatures shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognizedthat various modifications are possible within the scope of theinvention claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A building having a plurality of stories for erection on a foundationcomprising; a plurality of standardized prefabricated modular box-shapedunits of substantially the same dimensions each contributing to thecommutual space of the building; each of said units including aframework of horizontal and vertical beams in the form of a rectangularparallelepiped; said units being vertically stacked with theirlongitudinal axes parallel in checkerboard overlapping offset relationto form the building; whereby at least some of the units in the upperstories are each supported on the top surfaces of and by a pair ofspaced units therebeneath, with the lowermost units of at least two innumber being supported on the foundation, all units on each floor beinglaterally spaced from each other a distance less than the width of aunit, the first story of said building comprising a plurality of saidunits disposed on said foundation, the second story comprising unitsstacked on the first floor units with each second floor unit resting ontwo first fioor units and covering the space therebetween, each unit oneach floor above the first fioor being disposed on two units of thefloor therebelow and covering the space between such latter two units,the outermost units on all odd-numbered floors above the second floorbeing supported on an adjacent unit on the floor therebelow and onvertical columns interposed between said outermost units and a unittherebelow, certain of the units on each floor above the second floorbeing supported on an adjacent unit on the floor therebelow and onvertical columns interposed between said certain units and a unittherebelow, the lower longitudinal edges of the units being formed ofinverted L-shaped beams for engagement with the respective upperlongitudinal edges of units therebelow to provide rigid structuralnesting of the units,

fitting tubes being disposed along said lower longitudinal edges,certain of the vertical beams being hollow whereby said fitting tubesare telescoped into the hollow of certain of such vertical beams inunits therebelow to align all units longitudinally when stacked.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,154,142 4/1939 Whelan 52 793,256,652 6/1966 Van Der Lely 52 79 3,289,382 12/1966 Van Der Lely 52-79 FOREIGN PATENTS 289,953 6/1965 Netherlands.

302,799 10/1965 Netherlands.

1,269,321 6/1961 France.

JOHN E. MURTAGH, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.

